The Blue Ruins of Misfortune
by xalent
Summary: Tragedy takes many forms. Death of a loved one. Betrayal. Failure. Loss of humanity. For Draco Malfoy, he had survived one tragedy, but he would have to face even more tragedies in one of the greatest tragic legends of all time. Full Summary inside.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter characters or any of the people of Danish legend.

**Summary:** Draco Malfoy, once the son of the Dark Lord's right hand man, Lucius Malfoy, is now trapped in a prison he cannot escape from. For a person who felt little attachments to others, Draco felt sorrow for the first time when the only people he had links with in his life were killed in an experimental sacrificial ritual to turn Draco into a magical being immune to magic. Faced with tragedy for the first time in his life and stuck in an eternal prison with no escape, will Draco be able to keep his sanity? As he battles with his mind over his humanity and sanity, a part of his soul begins to awaken. This part of his soul was the man Draco once was and faced an even greater tragedy. Seeing Draco in his weakened state, this man that has split from Draco sees this as an opportunity to take over Draco's body and live once more.

* * *

Prelude: The Beginnings of Misfortune

* * *

Draco stood alone in an empty ritual chamber with his wand drawn in his right hand. Only the handle remained as the core was no longer inside the wand, but inside of Draco. Even if the wand was whole, it would have been useless because of what Draco had become. No. Forced into becoming. This was not what he wanted. This was not he was promised. Especially since it took the lives of five others as well as all the living creatures in a two mile radius. The Dark Lord had spared his life, but in turn made him a guinea pig for a sacrificial ritual and a prisoner as well.

Now trapped in a dimensional prison that returned him to the center should he step outside the boundaries, Draco Malfoy could do nothing more than stare at the disfigured corpse before him. It was all that was left of the man who was his mentor and had become his father figure during his three month journey back to the Dark Lord. For four more months had they traveled together before Theodore Nott betrayed Draco almost killing him. His mentor had saved his life then, but at the cost of giving his own. Severus Snape had given his life willingly to persuade the Dark Lord into sparing his.

Another sacrifice that Draco had strong ties to was the splattered ash on the North Wall. It was all that remained of his mother, Narcissa Malfoy. She never screamed or pleaded for mercy to be spared when she was chained and burned to death. Narcissa smiled as tears streamed down her face. Draco did not know why, but perhaps it was because she was glad her son would survive in her place. Her sister, Bellatrix, screamed and cried to be spared, but those who served the Dark Lord should have known that serving the Dark Lord meant that your life was his to used as he pleased. She was the scorch mark on the West Wall. On the South Wall was the person who betrayed him, Theodore Nott. An enemy was needed and Theodore just happened to be the easiest person to retrieve alive. He was begging for mercy as well.

Finally, on the East Wall was Pansy Parkinson, the person Draco shared a feint romantic relationship with. He did not love her, nor did she him, but they were connected together in what would be best described as a part-time lovers. They each had their own agendas and the relationship provided a way for them to relieve stress as well as provide a resource to climb higher in the social latter. However, Pansy was carrying his child and were set to marry before his birthday, but those plans would never be put into action.

Only one person that had strong ties with Draco was not sacrificed. Lucius Malfoy. One would think that all the sacrifices Draco has made to free his father from Azkaban and return his father into favor with the Dark Lord, Lucius would actually wish for the well being of his son. But no, Lucius just watched in glee as his own wife and son was sacrificed as an experiment for his master. In fact, it was none other than Lucius who offered his own wife and child and without much thought. At that moment in time, Draco cut off all his ties with Lucius. The only reason why he still called himself Draco Malfoy was because of his mother.

But what was the point? She's dead, isn't she? Why bother even keeping a name that tied him up with the one who orchestrated his demise and the death of all those he had closer ties to? Nothing made sense anymore. Right and wrong. Good and evil. Good deeds and bad deeds. Wellbeing of oneself versus the wellbeing of others. Once there was a clear line dividing these ideas. Now, for Draco Malfoy, the line had divided black from white disappeared. In its place was a brilliant barrage of colors that Draco could only guess to what it meant to him. Was red danger? Or was it something to be passionate about? Blue. Sadness or omnipotent? Yellow. Obvious or friend? Green. Natural or a mix of blue and yellow?

Draco wished he could stop thinking. It would provide him with less anxiety and allow him to gather himself, but in this pit of darkness and loneliness, Draco's only companion was his mind. He then shut his eyes and let out a violent roar filled with pain, anger and sorrow that shook the foundation of the sacrificial chamber, but Draco hardly cared if it toppled down upon him. It had not. Instead, the world fell completely silent once his roaring stopped. When he opened his eyes, Draco looked down into a pair of green hands with large sharp claws at the tip of each finger.

_Those are not my arms!? _Draco exclaimed in his mind. _But when I move my arms, they move in the same exact-_- Draco did not need to finish the thought to realize what had happened. He had known that the Dark Lord was using a sacrificial ritual to changed him into something that was completely magic resistant, but Draco was never told that it would change his physical appearance. "VOLDEMORT!!!!" Draco cried out at the top of his lungs. His throat burned with pain from using such a loud voice, but it hardly mattered. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME!?!? WHAT HAVE YOU CHANGED ME INTO?!?!?! WHAT BEAST HAVE I BECOME?!?!"

It was no use screaming. No one could hear. Everything within the dimensional prison was blocked off from the world of the living. Even if someone stepped into the area affected by the dimensional prison, they would not be in the same dimensional phase as Draco to hear or see him. All they would see was the abandoned sacrificial chamber with the disfigured corpse of Severus Snape, four black imprints of ash and all the dead creatures and plants. The Dark Lord hardly cared what Draco had to say nor would his supporters. All they cared about was that this experiment succeeded.

There was much anger inside of Draco, but no way of releasing it. No. There was a way. By inflicting pain upon himself. Draco lashed across his chest with his claws and his robes ripped away revealing a solid green body much like his arms. However, there was no pain. No blood. No wound. He looked at his claws which had broken tips, but they regenerated within moments. Draco took a look at his body again. He lacked all bodily hair, but his long silver hair still dangled down reaching his waist. What had he become?

Draco dashed up the stairway and out of the chamber to search for something that could be used to show his reflection. He did not know how many times he ran out only to wander out of the prison boundaries and return back to his starting point, but it was night when he began searching and now the sun was shining it's first rays of light upon the world. It must have been hours since he started, but Draco did not feel fatigued, exhausted, tired or sore from all the extensive running. However, his once burning determination was replaced with hopelessness as there was no mirror or shiny piece of metal in the area.

He fell back to the ground and just when Draco was about to lay back to rest, a reflection of the sun's rays blinded him for a moment. He turned towards the reflection and found the edge of a lake that might just be within the boundaries of the prison. Not wasting a moment of time, Draco dashed to the lake and luckily it was within the boundaries of the prison. Draco looked down at his reflection and what he found startled him, but it was not far from his expectations. His face was completely green as was his lips. Only his hair remained its natural color. His eye color had changed into steel-blue which contrasted greatly with his forest green skin.

"This is not who I am,"Draco whispered to himself. "This is not my face. These are not my eyes. This is not my body. What have you turned me into? WHAT HAVE I BECOME!? TELL ME? WHAT IS IT THAT I HAVE BECOME? A MONSTER? DEMON? CREATURE OF DARKNESS? WHAT IS IT? What is it that I have become? Am I even still human?" Draco fell to his knees, shut his eyes and felt them burn as tears formed.

After a long while, when his tears dried, Draco opened his eyes once more. There, in place of his deformed reflection was that of his old self. He shut his eyes once more and opened them. Again he saw his original face with pale white skin. Was he normal again? Or was he dreaming? It was then that he realized he still had steel-blue eyes. Those were not his original eyes. This was nothing more than an illusion that he created for himself.

Draco then looked down at his hands and found them to be what it once was: human hands. There was no claws. No green skin. He scratched his nails across his chest and felt the burning of pain. Draco was human again! Then was his demonic form just an illusion? Draco did not have to ponder long before he noticed his left hand changing. Claws grew out in place of his nails and his skin turned green. "STOP!" Draco screamed at his left hand and, amazingly, the changing stopped. He looked over to his right hand which was still his normal human hand, but his left hand was different. Changed.

Curious as to what this new hand would feel like to his human sense of feeling, Draco slid his right hand over the surface of his left arm from his elbow down to the back of his hand. On the part that was human, Draco could feel the warmth of his body and hair protruding from his arm. When he reached his "changed" hand, it felt colder than ice and as smooth as steel. Draco then tested how it would feel if he went the opposite direction and immediately he felt pain of hundreds of needless piercing into his hand. Instinctively, Draco flipped over his right hand and used his left hand to grasp it, but the claw of his left thumb went swiftly through his right palm. It was only until his mind registered that he had pierced himself with his claw that Draco felt pain.

Draco pulled his claw out of his right hand, crying in pain and gave his hand a good shake. Suddenly, the pain was gone. Draco flipped his right hand over, this time careful not to use his left hand, and noticed that it had healed. He looked to his left hand and saw blood dripping from his claw, but the wound was gone. "So I have regenerative abilities," Draco said to himself out loud. "At least there was one positive notion aside from becoming completely immune to magic. But being immune to magic meant giving up magic in return."

It was then that Draco remembered that he had tried to wound himself during the night with his claws and nothing had happened. Was it because of the green skin? To test this theory, Draco focused on turning his right arm green and found it surprisingly easy to do. "Transformation requires only my will and has immediate effects," Draco noted with a half hearted smile. He then traced a claw over his green skin and did not feel any pain. Draco squeezed his right arms just to see if any blood would come out, but none did. This proved that this green skin of his was stronger than his claws, but how did it compare to other objects?

Draco tested his claws against the hardest rock he could find and noticed how easily his claws stabbed into the rock. Then he slashed the largest rock he could find and found that it left clean slash marks much like a well made sword. Left with nothing harder to test his claws on, Draco returned to human form and walked out of the boundary to return to his point of origin.

Once more Draco was before his dead mentor. Was there nothing he could do except sit and watch the disfigured corpse rot? Yes. Bury it. Draco immediately lifted his mentor's corpse when he realized he had no casket to place the body in. As Draco looked up, he immediately knew how to make a casket. He carried his mentor's body to the surface with ease and laid the body on the dirt ground. With his claws, Draco cut out six large pieces from the stone walls of the surface entrance to the underground ritual chamber and laid it out next to his mentor's body.

For the next day, Draco resized the stone blocks, cut grooves into the sides and edges of the stone so they would fit together and stay in shape and finally he laced the outside of the stones with intricate designs and images that depicted his mentor's life and story. After digging a hole into the ground near the lake, Draco laid his mentor to rest along with a tombstone. Unsatisfied with burying only his mentor, Draco built three more caskets that would be empty for there exist no body to bury for his mother, fiance and unborn child.

When Draco finished the last tombstone, he was left alone again and nothing to do to take his mind away from the truth of his world. He was alone. In pain. Mourning the losses of those that had ties with him. His mind began to wander again.

_Was this it? _Draco asked himself as he sat alone in the ritual chamber. _Am I to remain in this prison alone for the remainder of my life with no hope of escape? What was that famous quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet? Oh, that's right:_

"To be or not to be, that is the question---

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against the sea of troubles,

And by opposing, end them. To die, to sleep---

No more; and by a sleep to say we end

The heartache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to — 'tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep —

To sleep, perchance to dream. Ay, there's the rub,

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,

Must give us pause. There's the respect

That makes calamity of so long life,

For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,

Th'oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,

The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,

The insolence of office, and the spurns

That patient merit of th'unworthy takes,

When he himself might his quietus make

With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,

To grunt and sweat under a weary life,

But that the dread of something after death,

The undiscovered country from whose bourn

No traveller returns, puzzles the will,

And makes us rather bear those ills we have

Than fly to others that we know not of?

Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,

And thus the native hue of resolution

Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,

And enterprises of great pitchand moment

With this regard their currents turn awry,

And lose the name of action.

William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, act three, scene one."

Draco then laughed hysterically as he realized he had recited the entire soliloquy by heart. How he knew it, he didn't know. He never read the play, nor does he know much about the story. In fact, Draco loathed the story of Hamlet. How is it tragic? So what if everyone dies. They were all weak and deserved it. _If I was there, I would have killed--_

He stopped in mid-thought, right at the moment he said "killed". It never bothered him to say that word before. There was lots of people wanted to kill. _Lucius. Voldemort. Harry Potter._ _Her-._ _That's odd. She had always been part of my list. _Draco stopped for a moment and thought about what it was that set her different from the others. _Muggleborn witch. Yes. He would ki-_

"Why is it that I cannot continue my thoughts?" Draco asked himself out loud. "What is it about Hermione Granger that sets her different than Harry Potter, Lucius and Voldemort aside from being born to Muggles? Is she not my foe?" It was then that Draco realized why. No. Hermione was never his enemy. He hated her because she was a Muggleborn witch and he wanted her to die because of that, not because she was Harry's ally.

"Then can I not hurt the innocent?" Draco asked himself.

_You no longer can._

"Why?"

_You know why._

"No I don't."

_Yes you do. You just refuse to accept the idea._

"Well, if I'm refusing to accept the idea, then I would have blocked it out of my mind, wouldn't I?"

_You tried._

"And I succeeded. So do humor me by telling me what it was."

_Nice try, but I'm not that gullible._

"Bullshit. If I know it, then why is it that I can't seem to remember what it was?"

_If you couldn't remember what it was, then you could easily say you want to kill Hermione, wouldn't you?_

"Bastard."

_I would say the same for you._

"Fine. If I do know it, and failed to block it from my mind, how do I remember it?"

_What are you? A fucking kindergardener? Grow the fuck up, Draco Malfoy. You're a Slytherin, aren't you? Figure it out yourself._

"You bloody fucking bastard. A hint would be nice!"

_Oh, if that's what you wanted, then you should have asked for it in the first place, dumb ass. It's not like I can fucking read your mind._

"Cut the crap and give me a fucking hint already!"

_Very well then. What is it that you don't want to become?_

"A good person?"

_Still the same fucking kindergardener. There's no way you can become a good person. Not with the way you live your life so far and it's not going to change either._

"Harry Potter."

_Are you fucking kidding me? Harry Potter's a good person. Well, not really. But he's always going to stay in the realm of being a good person. However, you're an evil person, Draco. Evil to the heart and core. Nothing's going to change that._

"If you're so fucking smart, then why don't you just tell me why the fuck I can't say what I once was able to say?"

_By the Gods, how the hell did you survive in the service of the Dark Lord being as stupid and naïve as you are?_

"Once more, cut the bullshitting and insults and get to the fucking point."

_You're an evil person, Draco. What you don't want to become is a person like your father or Voldemort who kills indiscriminately and sacrifices people with ties at a whim._

"And?"

_Do I have to spell everything out for you?_

"The short answer, yes."

_Killing indiscriminately is a sign of chaos. You need order and a set of guidelines that set you different and make you unique. Plainly speaking, you are lawfully evil. That in no way means mean you're a fucking goody two shoes. You just don't see the point in killing just because you feel like it. Voldemort, Lucius and Harry all have done something against you and the punishment for their crimes against you is Death. Now all those you cannot fully state you wish to kill, you could care less if they died the next moment. But it's not worth your time to kill them._

"Very nice summary. Now can you go now so I can get some fucking rest? This bullshit isn't even true and is boring me to death."

_Boring you to death? Bullshit? Please, Draco, stop killing me with your naivety and wake the fuck up._

"How would you know anything about me anyways? It's not like you're Draco Malfoy."

_Oh on the contrary, I am you. I know you inside out. I know everything about you because I remember every moment of our life from the moment we were born. And, if you haven't noticed, who's voice is it that you're hearing and talking? You and I are the only ones in this forsaken dimensional prison. Put all the pieces together and viola! You've been talking to yourself, Draco Malfoy!_

Draco let out a horrific roar as his eyes shot wide open. He was on his feet again and his head was spinning around looking to see who it was that he was speaking to. "Where are you?" he shouted, but it was then he realized those last few words were true. He had been talking to himself.

How long has it been since he was last awake? Draco walked up to the surface and looked around. It was still very much the same. However, it was raining. Was it mid spring already? The snow was gone, but nothing was growing. If it was mid spring, then Draco must have been sleeping for three or so months.

_Two months actually._

Draco jerked his head to the left as he thought he heard a voice. However, it was different from his own. He carefully looked around, scanning the area. "Is anyone there?"

_No. Not really. You know, I don't see why I even bother responding. It's not like you can hear me anyways._

Draco's head jerked around again. He heard the voice! It was as clear as day to him through the heavy rainfall. "Yes, yes I can hear you."

_That's a li- You can?_

"Yes. However, I don't know where you are."

_Oh my! By the Gods you can hear me!_

"Yes. I thought I established that a moment ago."

_Forgive me. I'm just an old man who thought you would never awaken again._

"Never awaken? Were you the one speaking to me while I was-- asleep or whatever?"

_Gods no. You were speaking to, well, you. Well, he's not really you you, but he's still you._

"I don't have time for riddles, old man."

_Oh, you don't know yet, do you?_

"Oh for fuck's sake, give me a bloody straight answer instead of asking me stupid fucking questions."

_Forgive me, Draco. I did not mean to insult you. Well, earlier when I said awaken, I had not meant to awaken from sleep, but awaken from death. Please, be patient and bear with me. I will explain everything. You never died, Draco, or haven't yet, however, your former self has. You were once Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark and my grandson._

Draco narrowed his steel-blue eyes and thought for a moment. If his conversation with himself was true, then everything he hears and sees could potentially be true. Hamlet. Prince of Denmark. Suddenly, a rush of information filled his mind and his world began to change. No longer did he see the empty room of the sacrificial chamber, but a roomed filled with people floating around. Some had disfigured appearances while others remained normal. And before him, a tall and strong man stood before him with broad shoulders and chest. He had thick arms and legs, long wavy brown hair, massive mustache and beard and a sense of royalty about him.

_Well met, Draco Malfoy. I am Rørik Slyngebond, grandfather of the man you once was,_ spoke the man, now visible to the naked eye. He then looked around for a moment before turning back to Draco and saying, _I'm afraid that this will be another futile attempt by an old man trying to show a young man a different road available to take. Most unfortunate that this set path is that towards tragedy._

"Tragedy?" Draco scoffed at the older man. "I doubt there could be anything more tragic than how my life ended!"

_Ended? No, young man, your life has just began. In fact, you have just been born,_ Rørik said to Draco with stern solid eyes that would not back down. His voice was deep with a much serious tone with a hint of desperation.

"Then why don't you enlighten me, O' mighty Rørik, grandfather of who I once was?" Draco mocked light heartedly.

_Yes, you and Hamlet are much the same. Arrogant. Intimidating. Cruel with words. And most of all, purely evil at heart. But I suppose I am to blame for I had been far too lenient on my eldest son, Hamlet. In turn, his actions destroyed his own son, Hamlet. I was never sure if the death of my eldest son by Claudius, my younger son, was what triggered Hamlet's insanity, or would Hamlet have lost his sanity naturally even if the murder did not occur._

"Insane? I may not know much about Hamlet, but I do recall that he feigned madness. And what has Hamlet to do with my life anyways? He's dead already. Dead, buried and never will return. If I truly am his reincarnation, then I have clear dominance over him!"

_Perhaps. But you are slowly losing control. He has invaded your mind already. And as I have seen countless times in the past, Hamlet's insanity always wrested control from his victim at the end. And yes, Hamlet lost his sanity. Shakespeare's play of Hamlet was a mere romanticized version of what truly happened. Bloody was the play, but bloodier was the truth, and it only becomes bloodier with each time Hamlet takes control of another reincarnation of his._

"Rest assured, old man. Hamlet will not take me so easily," Draco laughed as he looked around the chamber to see if he could find Hamlet's soul. "What is it that Hamlet does in the past that makes this story bloodier and bloodier?"

_I am not free to speak of it. Perhaps she will visit and speak to you of it._

"She?"

_Yes. She. A woman who dies in Shakespeare's play in a mysterious and vaguely explained way._

"Since you haven't spoken her name, I'm guessing you won't tell it to me either?"

_That is correct._

"I wonder who will drive me insane first, you or Hamlet?" Draco joked.

_I will try my best to keep you sane, but I fear your soul is tied closer to that of Hamlet than mine. I suppose he allowed you to see me just to put it in my face of how futile my attempts are._

"If it's futile, then why bother?"

_It's not like I have anything better to do, now is there? And nor could I just sit idly while an evil spirit tries to possess the living in order to return to the past!_

"I doubt he will succeed. There's no way out of this dimensional prison."

_Oh you'd be surprised at how resourceful my grandson is. He will find a way to escape. Perhaps he's out right now searching for a means _to. There was a short pause as Rorik waited patiently for something to happen, but nothing did. _Interesting. Judging by the lack of response from my insane grandson, I do believe he's not here. However, once he returns, I will not doubt that he will erase our conversation from your mind._

"Well, since he's not here, why don't you tell me of some of the ways he wrests control of the body from the host?"

_I feared you would say that. Then I suppose that's what makes you a little bit different than the others._

"Different, you say? Would that give me an advantage?"

_Perhaps. Or it may go the other way. But regardless of what it may be, what I will tell you will be advantageous to you. It will be enough to bring balance or even prove to give you a greater advantage._

"Well, go on then! We haven't got all the time in the world!"

_Very well. Hamlet will wrest control at the moment your emotionally weakest. First, he will use your emotions towards Voldemort, Lucius and Harry to fill you with rage. At that moment in time, a part of Hamlet will seep into you. But should you sense him entering you, you could easily dominate that part of Hamlet and turn it into a part of you. He will then use your link with Severus, Narcissa, Pansy and unborn child to fill you with sorrow. At the moment you allow your rage to turn to sorrow, Hamlet will try and destroy your spirit to take your body. Before you think of destroying his soul, remember this: Hamlet is a part of you, but you are not a part of him. Should you destroy him, you will die as well._

"Thanks for the advice," Draco replied, almost coldly. However, there now was a new problem that arised: How would he retain these memories? And if he could, how would Draco keep it from Hamlet?

_I suppose that you are wondering how to keep this from Hamlet?_

"Yes, that is correct."

_Your supernatural abilities may prove most useful then._

"My abilities? The most I can do is turn my skin green and slash through just about anything around here with my claws."

_There's much more to you than just a green hide and steel-like claws. I'm amazed you haven't breathed acid yet or tried burning yourself. The former will prove most useful for melting anything aside from your green hide and the latter will prove to have no effect as you are immune to fire, acid, lightning, poison as well as many other non-magical elements._

Draco eyed the older man with caution as even he did not know so much about his new abilities. "Is there anything else?"

_From all my years of observation, there's only the fact that all these abilities are derived from the type of dragon the dragon blood was taken from to make the potion. And as you know, by becoming what you are, you lost all your magical abilities. You're now worse tuned to magic than a Muggle._

"Oh, thanks for the lovely information," Draco spat sarcastically with a scowl. Nothing could possibly be worse than actually being more magicless than a Muggle.

_Unfortunately, these are all the abilities I know you have. These abilities were seen uniformly in everyone I have seen put under this procedure. Others were seen in certain cases, but not all. One of these is to become able to encode your memories into your body at will and even erase traces of it from your mind._

"That's simply insane, but you've got me intrigued by the notion, old man. Go on," Draco commented with a smug grin.

_The first time you use this ability, the memory you wish to hide would be erased from your mind and replaced with another. If you do not have this ability, you would either remember it or forget it completely. If you do have it, then these memories would be remembered upon a triggering condition. You would need to choose carefully for if these conditions are not met, you would never remember._

"Well, what have I got to lose? Hamlet's going to erase them anyways."

_Your sanity for one! The procedure alone would drive any human insane!_

"I'm hardly _any _human, Rorik. You don't have to worry about my sanity anyways. It seems to have been slowly slipping since I became whatever it is I am."

_Then may the Gods and Guardians be kind to you._

"I doubt they would have mercy on someone like me."

_Then you'd be surprised._

"Perhaps, but I could care less. So, tell me, what's this procedure that would drive me insane?"

_First, think of a condition in which you wish to remember these memories. Then, the next part is destroying your brain and severing it from your body._

Draco smiled. It looked like a psychotic killer just about to kill his next prey, but for Draco, it was himself. Should he survive, his sanity might not be in tact, but perhaps it had already been lost. "You know, old man, if you were alive, I might have liked you. Hopefully we'll see each other again." Without another word or waiting for Rorik's response, Draco dug his claws into his skull and ripped them away crudely destroying most of his brain. Pain exploded, but a pitch black darkness came almost immediately numbing the pain.

_Tried to kill yourself? _A familiar voice spoke.

"No," Draco responded as he sat up. How long had he been out? The last thing he remembered was going up to the surface to check how long he had been asleep the time before.

_Then would you care to explain how your brain ended up splattered about?_

Draco tilted his head slightly trying to remember what it was. Oh. That's right. "I had a terrible migraine. I guess I underestimated my strength." That was it, wasn't it? He remembered his head was in a lot of pain before it literally exploded. Then a pitch darkness.

_Try not to do that again. The next time you won't be as lucky to have your brain regenerated._

"Whatever. So, tell me, who are you again?"

_You subconsciousness that has manifested itself into a voice inside your head._

"That's a bloody lie!"

_My, my, my! It seems you had forgotten or 'chat' earlier when we established this fact. Let me help you to remember._

"Chat?" Draco asked in a shaky voice.

"Yes, chat." he answered himself.

"No, this can't be real..."

"Yes. Yes it is real, Draco Malfoy," his voice responded in a solid tone. There was no confusion or doubt in his voice.

"No... NO! It's all... all in my head! Yes, all in my head!" Draco spoke out as his voice was losing the strength of conviction.

Suddenly, ghosts of himself began to appear from the darkness around him. Each of them wearing his signature smug grin and saying with his own voice: "Oh, this is very real. The only time it wouldn't be is if you were insane. Now, you haven't lost your sanity yet, have you?"

Unable to respond, Draco lashed out uncontrollably with his claws slashing at the ghosts while they laughed in mockery. One at a time, the ghost's image distorted when slashed and then disappeared into the darkness from whence it came. Soon, they all disappeared leaving Draco alone just as he started and laughing just as they were. Even after realizing this, Draco could not stop his laughter. With each minute, his laughter became increasingly hysterical as his eyes grew wider and mind continued to wander.

"It was me all along!" Draco shouted in his laughter. "So, will I continued to torment myself till insanity or did that only happen in my sleep? Hello? Subconscious mind of Draco Malfoy? Care to explain? Wait. Wait a bloody minute. I was never asleep, was I?" Draco roared in hysterical laughter until his stomach cramped causing him to fall to his knees. "I was awake all this time, thinking I was asleep. I tricked myself into thinking it was so. My, my, my. You truly have gone insane, Draco!"

He stood up weakly from the ground and moved towards the stairs. Draco was almost an empty shell of who he once was. The proud and noble Draco Malfoy! What an entertaining thought. What would others think of him if they saw him in this state? Well, that did not matter. It's not like anyone could see him anyways.

Draco did not know how far he had walked or how many times he made his way out of the chamber before collapsing onto a patch of dead grass. Everything inside this cursed prison was dead. Only he was alive, but Draco knew he was not completely alive. He had been dying the moment the prison was made. Perhaps suicide would have been easier. At least he would not have to watch himself lose his sanity. Or will he even know his sanity's gone?

_Perhaps. But you will not lose it. _A gentle voice spoke in his mind. It was a voice that sounded like it belonged to a sweet maiden.

"I'm losing it already if I'm hearing so many voices," Draco laughed as he let his eyelids shut. But the next moment he spread them wide open, determined not to let his consciousness slip away fearing his sanity will go along with it.

_Sleep, Draco, _the gentle voice goaded. She sounded genuinely worried. No one spoke to him in that manner aside from his mother. _Rest, Draco. If you do not rest, your insanity will destroy your sanity. It is in insomnia which your insanity grows and sanity fades._

"What promises can you make that my sanity will not fade?" Draco asked.

_I can promise that I will watch over you, just as you will watch over me. I can protect you from your darkness. I know trust is not something you have much of in your life, but will you trust me to ease you of your insanity?_

"Why? It's not like I have done anything in return."

_But you will. A good man you may not be, Draco Malfoy, but a man guided by his strict conscience. You believe that good and bad is all relative to the person, but law is something you believe to be universal. Law that is not guided by society, but guided by oneself. And one day, you will find that although you personally would never protect others, your laws prohibits you from ignoring injustices done without reason._

"You clearly are a dreamer. I promise you, I will never be like that."

_Are you so sure? I can prove to you the truth in my words, but you must sleep. It is only in your dreams can we meet. If I mean harm to you, then you can easily wake up. Your willpower is great enough to dominate most people I have met in my lifetime._

"Very well. I will sleep. Just promise me that it will be a wondrous dream because I know that when I face reality again, a wondrous dream will keep my sanity in tact longer than a terrifying one."

_I promise you, Draco, that this will be the most wonderful dream you ever had in your life. Why? Because it is my dream as well._

Draco allowed his mind to slip away and soon the darkness overcame him. When he woke, Draco found himself lying in a beautiful garden lawn. He sat up immediately and looked around. To his left was a enormous gate that led to a deep forest while to his right was a castle of unimaginable beauty and size. Concentrating on the garden once more, Draco found rows of neatly organized rose bushes spreading across the garden like a maze.

"Stop standing there like an idiot, love!" a female voice called out. Draco thought he recognized the voice for a moment, but when he turned towards the voice, he found three beautiful young ladies no older than the age of 16 staring at him. The two that stood at the side looked downward hiding their smiles and blushing face. They had dark brown hair that was tied up in a bun. However, they wore forest green gowns with long, slender sleeves. It hugged their slender figure above the waist, displaying their curves until the dress that hung loosely over their legs. A pity that they weren't showing their legs.

However, the two lost all their beauty when Draco's eyes focused on the lady in the center. She had beautiful round eyes that pierced into his and never backed down. A wide lovely smile lit across her face as she brushed her long blond hair that had amazing waves back to reveal her pale bear neck. She had sharp facial features and seemed much thinner than the two girls standing at her side which had plump, round faces, but this girl did not lose in bust size.

"You're staring like a lecherous pervert again, love," the girl said as she leaned forward on her toes so she could place her lips to his ear and whisper, "If you wanted to see me unclothed, then do so in a more private area. For now, your uncle and my father have requested our company."

"Fair enough," Draco responded with a smile after he took a deep breath of her wondrous fragrance. "Then shall we go entertain my uncle and your father, love?"

Love? Wait a minute. Love? Draco Malfoy, in love?

_Yes, and very deeply. Amazing, isn't it? The feeling of love. Evil you may be, but somehow, in that heart of yours that is shrouded by darkness, you were able to find a way to love._

And then Draco felt it as he place his left arm around the girl's waist and pulled her close to his side. There was a warmth that filled his cold, calculating heart. Even at this moment, his mind was racing of ways to defy his uncle and prove to the girl's father he was truly insane, although not. Yet, as he walked with this girl within his arms, there was not a single word of cruelty he could utter. Draco only found words and phrases that expressed his undying love.

_It was a moment in time neither of us have reached and have not experienced, however, I believe that we can if I can help you overcome your madness and yourself. Although this is done for my own selfish reasons, for I do not want to be killed by the hands of my prince once more, but this is something I can offer you in reward for your help._

"Is this real?" Draco asked the girl in his arms.

"Are you questioning it now? How many times you sneaked past the guards to enter my chambers at the peak of night? How many times were you watching over me at those drinking parties when I had a bit much and was giving myself to the first man I see? How many times have you pulled me away and reprimanded me for my actions? How many times have you put up with my cold insensitive actions towards you? How many times have you forgiven me for my wrongs? How many times have you helped me with my problems and trusted me with your secrets? I for one cannot give you an answer for there have been too many accounts to count. Are you saying that all this time, you have done it not out of love, but coincidence? If so, then you truly are mad."

Draco smiled even though those words hurt more that someone tearing out his heart from his chest. Yes, he did all those things on countless occasions and more. And yes, he loved her more than any person in his live including his mother, Pansy and unborn child. "I am not questioning my love for you. I am just wondering if this world is real, because it seems too good to be a dream. If so, then I wish never to wake up for I would be away from you. You are the only person I can truly share my life with and if you are not there, then all I would be is the evil hearted prince feigning madness."

"No, my love. You once were that person. You once could not love another as did I, but is it not a blessing by the Gods that we are capable of loving?"

_Is that a good enough answer?_

"Yes. It truly is a blessing, love. I'm sorry for doubting, my love. Will you forgive me?"

"I could not forgive myself if I lost you simply because I could not forgive you when you asked for it. Nor could I find it in myself not to forgive you because I love you too much, Draco Malfoy."

"And I you, O-"

Draco never finished his words when he was suddenly pulled through the ground. He began to sink as he watched the girl he had proclaimed his love to pounded against the surface crying out his name, trying to reach for him.

_Give him back!_

_He's not yours to keep, but mine as are you._

_No! NO-_

Draco saw two figures continue to argue above him, but he could not make out the words. It was as if something plugged his ears. So he concentrated a bit more.

_So you would choose him over me? You would choose this thing over a human?_

_You are hardly human anymore. Even after becoming what he is, Draco will always be far more human than you are!_

A sudden high pitch scream shot a painful burst to Draco's ears and forced him awake. Draco shot up and found himself not on a patch of dead grass, but a lively forest with wild flowers growing about.

_So, Rip Van Wrinkle decided to finally wake up._

"Something happened while I was asleep," Draco responded.

_Don't worry, it's nothing of deep consequence._

"If you say so," Draco replied half heartedly. He did not care what the voice said. Something inside of him told him to remember what it was that he had forgotten. Something that was very important to him. Then he remembered. It was the most wondrously beautiful dream Draco ever dreamed. It was centered around the moment in which he felt the greatest feeling of love. Then he remembered another detail he had long forgotten: this dream was one he had before. It was a reoccurring dream of a beautiful blond maiden with long wavy hair. This was why he did not start a relationship with Pansy until she changed her hair.

Draco narrowed his eyes and wondered if the owner of the voice was spying on his thoughts. _Hey! You're a bloody bastard, you know that? _Draco thought in his mind. For a moment, Draco waited for a response, but none came.

"If that's of no consequence, then what is?" Draco asked out loud.

_Getting back to the chamber. I have something to show you._

Was it possible that the voice's control was decreased because Draco was outside? To test this theory, Draco walked back to the chamber and thought, _That bloody git. Who does he think he is to order me around?_

_Don't think that just because you're not speaking it that I can't hear it._

Thus confirmed his suspicions. "So, what was it-" Draco stopped in mid-sentence when he saw a familiar veil before him. It was the gateway to the world of the dead his cousin Sirius had the misfortune of falling into.

_It seems you former master and father have started using this as a gateway to different places around the world. And, it seems they have come for a visit!_

Just as the voice finished, a cloaked figure with crimson red eyes walked through the veil followed by several other cloaked figures. "Ah, Draco Malfoy," a cold voice spoke. It once gave Draco chills, but now it made him burn with anger. "I see you still live."

"Live? Maybe. But I suppose I'm more dead than alive," Draco spat in response. "Then again, I suppose you would know that better than I, correct Tom Riddle?"

Voldemort sneered as Lucius took a step forward and spoke out, "You shall treat our master with respect!"

"Cut the bullshit, Lucius. Everyone here knows that Tom would not have return if there wasn't something he wanted with me," Draco spat to Lucius, then the answer dawn to him. "Oh, so it failed? It failed and now you need to cut me open and experiment on me to figure out what it was you did wrong! I should have known you would fuck thinks up!"

"You shall treat your fath-" Lucius began.

"Shut the fuck up, Lucius. You stopped being my father a long time ago so there's no reason why I should pretend to be your son."

"Lucius, it seems that you have underestimated your son. It's time we went by the original plan," Voldemort said to his right hand man.

"Very well, master," Lucius replied with a bow.

"I must say, I was waiting for this moment," Draco said with a gleeful smile as his skin turned green. White claws extended from his fingers while his eyes expanded to it's most widened state. Before any of the seven cloaked figures could advance or draw their wands, Draco had already pierced his right hand into the leader's chest. He ripped it the man's heart before smashing his jaw into his brains killing the man in the most gruesome way.

Two of the Death Eaters sent to capture Draco keeled over as they had never seen a man's head explode. They were his next targets. One had his stomach ripped open while the other had his spine ripped from his back.

"By Merlin's beard, your son has lost his sanity," Voldemort spoke to Lucius. "It is most unfortunate, but we may have to kill him."

"It's hardly of consequence to me, master. As Draco stated before, I stopped being his father a long time ago," Lucius replied as he drew his wand.

But before either man could move, Draco had already finished killing their advance guard. He stood in a pool of blood with a maniacal smile across his face. Draco gave a hiss and a stream of green liquid sprayed from his mouth. Upon reflex, Voldemort raised a shield deflecting the liquid away. When it hit the ground, Voldemort and Lucius immediately recognized it as acid and retreated back through the veil.

"You may have won this time, but you won't be as lucky the next," Voldemort promised as he stepped through.

Draco dashed towards the veil when a figure stepped out into his path. It only took a moment to recognize the greasy hair and crooked nose.

"I gave my life so that you could become a raging madman?" the ghost sneered as it circled Draco once. "I can hardly recognize you covered beneath all that blood."

Draco swallowed hard as he did not know how to respond. Of all the people to see him in this way, Severus Snape was one of the last people Draco wished to have see him covered in blood with a maniacal smile across his face. Suddenly, two more figures walked out from the veil. Two women and one was carrying a child.

"Is this who you are?" his mother asked him. "A killer? I thought you were different! I thought I could believe in you to not become like your father! Become a man bathed in blood!"

"No..." Draco murmured as his hands began to shake. He looked down at them and could see them enveloped in a thick warm coat of crimson red blood that dripped to the ground. "I'm not-"

"But aren't you? Have you looked at yourself, Draco?" Pansy asked as she turned towards the veil which changed into a solid mirror. It showed Draco drenched in the blood of his enemies. His dark green skin hardly showed beneath the coating of blood. His long silver hair was deep red and heavy. The white claws were hardly white anymore. "You're a disgrace, Draco."

"You have fallen from who you once were. You have fallen from the noble image of Draco Malfoy!" Narcissa Malfoy spat at her son.

"And you have lost your humanity," Severus Snape, Draco's mentor and father figure, spoke in a cruel tone. "You have become the demon that is reflected in that mirror."

"No..." Draco muttered in disbelief. "I-" He tried to explain, but there was nothing he could think of to justify his actions.

"Disgrace."

"Fallen."

"Demon."

"Stop..." Draco whispered trying to protest.

"Disgrace. Fallen. Demon."

"I'm not..."

Those words continued to echo in his mind and tormented him. Draco fell to his knees and begged for mercy, but none was given. Yes, he was a disgrace. A failure. He had fallen from his mighty status and traded his humanity to become this demon. The very thing he did not want to become.

_You aren't._

Yes I am. The proof's all there.

_No you aren't. If you were, you would not be tormented by these statements._

Who cares? It's my punishment.

_I do, Draco Malfoy. I do._

You do?

_Yes. I do. I sincerely care that you are tormenting yourself. You have not done anything wrong by your standards. You killed in self-defense against the people who betrayed you._

But I've become a demon.

_Are you a demon? You are an evil person, but are you a demon? Or are you still human? I believe that you are still human, Draco. I've seen how humane you are._

But I'm no longer human.

_Stop. Remember what you have forgotten. Remember what it was that you did not want to forget. It will show you how humane you are. Your actions do not determine your humanity, Draco Malfoy. It is your heart. Should your heart remain human, you shall as well regardless of your actions despite how cruel or inhumane it may be._

What it was that I didn't want to forget?

_Yes. Something you have kept within you all along._

My dreams.

_Yes, your dreams. Now which dream was it?_

"Love," Draco spoke out loud. "The dream about my greatest love." He lifted his head and the three ghosts of those he had closest ties with began to fade, but they each had a smile across their face. "I may never become a man who can love, but I do have dreams about it. This is what sets me different from you, isn't it, my subconscious self. Or should I call you Hamlet, Prince of Denmark?" Draco dried out with a force that pushed everything in the vicinity away and revealed the ghost of his former self.

"How can this be!?" Hamlet cried out in shock.

"Rorik, you crazy old son of a bitch, your idea actually worked, but not without the aid of the girl. I can't remember her name though. Well, Hamlet, it seems your life of tormenting your reborn souls has come to an end, because now I'm no longer your reborn soul, but you are a part of me, Draco Malfoy!" Draco leaped out into the air and pushed his hand into Hamlet's ghost and could feel the man's hatred and insanity, however Draco would not give. He was the stronger of the two.

"Curse you Draco Malfoy! You may have won, and I forever gone, but I will curse you with a tragedy you cannot escape from. Let that me final gift to you!" Hamlet screamed before his spirit was sucked into Draco's fist.

Just as Draco was about to celebrate his victory, the entire Earth shook. He felt a sudden pulse of magic sweep through him in one direction and then back the other. He wasted no time in running outside to see for himself what had happen and discovered everything was dead. Plants. Animals. Even the lake was dried. The sky was burning crimson and Draco could see giant spears aimed directly at the Earth.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Draco cried out as he dashed down stairs and leaped towards the veil. He did not know if he made it or not, but an explosion threw him off course and knocked him out. When he woke, Draco found himself floating in space.

"The Gods and Guardians were kind to you after all," a familiar voice spoke.

"Perhaps, but it doesn't explain why I'm here. And where the hell is Earth? I see the moon," Draco threw at Rorik in quick response.

"The Earth is gone. Harry Potter destroyed it after his final battle with Voldemort," Rorik replied.

"Why? He won didn't he?"

"In a sense. He killed Voldemort, but you know that pulse you felt twice? That was a magical wave that killed everything except for you because of you immunity to magic."

"Oh great. I finally escape from my dimensional prison only to be trapped in space. Curse my luck."

"No, you're not trapped here. You're here because time hasn't been reset yet. It should happen any second now," Rorik said with a smile as he waved goodbye.

"Wait, what are you-" Draco never finished before the world changed around him. He was no longer in space, but a dirt road of a rural area. "Now where the hell am I?"


End file.
